Stay Tuned: ‘Farmsteaders’ is a compelling look at the small family farm

Tuesday

Dispatches: Weekly TV newsFreeform has added “Wrap Battle” to its upcoming 25 Days of Christmas programming. The six-episode competition series sets out to find the best gift-wrapper in America. (Spoiler alert: It’s not me). The winner will receive $50,000 and the opportunity to design their own custom holiday wrapping paper. Sheryl Underwood (“The Talk”) hosts.

Joining the reboot trend, “Mad About You” is set to premiere during the holiday season on Spectrum with four of its original cast reviving their roles. The limited-run series picks up 20 years after the show’s finale with Paul (Paul Reiser) and Jamie (Helen Hunt) adjusting to life after their daughter Mabel (Abby Quinn) leaves for college.

Written and directed by Vince Gilligan, “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie,” will be released on Netflix on Oct. 11. Fan favorite Aaron Paul returns as Jesse Pinkman.

New streaming service Disney+ (launching Nov. 12) announced its upcoming original shows. On tap is an Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan McGregor, a contemporary “Lizzie McGuire” starring Hilary Duff, and several live-action series from Marvel Studios: “Ms. Marvel,” “Moon Knight” and “She-Hulk.” Also in the line-up, is unscripted, short-form series, “Muppets Now” and Lucasfilm’s “The Mandalorian,” which focuses on the adventures of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy.

Contenders: Shows to keep on your radarWhat’s more adorable than a week-old elephant? Five more tiny animals. “Animal Babies: First Year on Earth” (Aug. 28, PBS, 8 p.m. ET) follows six baby animals from across the globe as they navigate new surroundings and spend the first three months learning crucial survival skills.

It’s romance, fairies and monsters on “Carnival Row” (Aug. 30, Amazon Prime). Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne star in this fantasy series set in Victorian England.

Rowan Atkinson (“Mr. Bean”) plays French detective Jules Maigret in “Maigret” (Aug. 31, Ovation, 7 p.m. ET). The fictional sleuth appears in 75 books by Georges Simenon. Ovation will air both seasons of the series over four weeks.

“Dog: Impossible” (Sept. 2, Nat Geo Wild, 9 p.m. ET) features Matt Beisner’s progressive approach to canine behavior. Less alpha and more zen, Beisner believes that a dog/owner relationship based on respect, trust and love is the key to positive behavioral outcomes. After the Sept. 2 premiere, the series continues on Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.

“Farmsteaders” (Sept. 2, PBS, 10 p.m.) explores everyday life in rural America through the story of Nick Nolan and his family who return home to southeast Ohio to revive his late grandfather’s dairy farm. As agriculture moves toward large-scale farming, Nick’s struggle to revive small dairy farm practices is a poignant depiction of legacy and resistance.

With the potential loss of Calvary to the rival Harmony & Hope Ministries, the season four action on “Greenleaf” (Sept. 3, OWN, 10 p.m. ET) focuses on the titular family trying to stay united. Uneasy alliances, and a series of events that threaten to reveal Grace’s (Merle Dandridge) deepest secret yet, complicate the family’s battle to save their church.

Losers: The current fifth season of HBO’s “Ballers” will be its last.Melissa Crawley is the author of “Mr. Sorkin Goes to Washington: Shaping the President on Television’s ‘The West Wing.’” She has a Ph.D. in media studies and is a member of the Television Critics Association. To comment on Stay Tuned, email her at staytuned@outlook.com or follow her on Twitter at @mcstaytuned.

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